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Woodwind Society!

Hey everyone! :hello:

I know there are a few other societies for people that play musical instruments but I thought it would be a good idea to make one for those of us with a particular love for the woodwind family!

It would be fantastic to hear from anyone that plays something from the woodwind family and from those who just love the sounds they make! :smile:

I'm really only a keen amateur player (flute, clarinet and hopefully bassoon - if I can work that thing out :rolleyes:

) that collects instruments (I'm sure someone will know what I mean, I just can't help it!).

Interesting facts, discussions and idle chat about the greatest composers (J.S. Bach, by the way :wink:

) are very, very welcome!

I look forward to hearing from you all!

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Join up here!
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/socs.php?do=join&socid=614

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Reply 1

MetroGnome

I play clarinet!!!!!!!!11

What kind of grades do you mean when you say "keen amateur" ? :p:

Reply 2

Yuna47

Hi MetroGnome! :biggrin:

I only got lessons on the flute at school. It was one of those things where the more I was told to practice, the less I did and it's only now that I wish I'd actually made the effort! :smile:

I never sat any of the exams, the thought of it scared me a lot :eek:

but I think I got to about grade 5 then went backwards! :rolleyes:

I love the clarinet! Been trying to teach myself for a while now but I'm a walking disaster - I managed to kick it over the other day and ended up taking the whole thing apart (keys and all - hey, I was bored! :biggrin:

). But now that it's back together, I swear it plays better than it did before that little accident! :cool:

How long have you been playing? :smile:

Reply 3

tinkerbellejess

Hey, I play flute and am at Uni studying music. It's about time us wind players had somewhere to "congregate". lol

Reply 4

MetroGnome

Yuna47

Hi MetroGnome!

I only got lessons on the flute at school. It was one of those things where the more I was told to practice, the less I did and it's only now that I wish I'd actually made the effort!

I never sat any of the exams, the thought of it scared me a lot but I think I got to about grade 5 then went backwards!

I love the clarinet! Been trying to teach myself for a while now but I'm a walking disaster - I managed to kick it over the other day and ended up taking the whole thing apart (keys and all - hey, I was bored! ). But now that it's back together, I swear it plays better than it did before that little accident!

How long have you been playing?

Ah clarinet's the only instrument I play really, though we have a piano I can just about pick chords from! (Oh and recorder too :biggrin:

but everyone can play recerder hehe)

I don't mind the practising, as long as I get a say in what I do. So I learn a huge range of pieces + improve overall and then choose exam pieces etc, whereas a girl I know only focuses on exam pieces and nothing else!

The exams are pretty scary! I started doing them when I was about 9ish, and just carried on (I'm 16 now). Working on Grade 8, skipped 7 though. Fun! I love how when you get better you're able to play almost anything! Compared to when you start off and it's nursery rhymes hehe. Although I still hate doing scales - that's one thing you've escaped!!

Ahh my old clarinet was covered in dents :p:

though I'm treating my new wooden one like a baby ^^ so pretty :love:

and such a different sound too. Mouthpieces make a load of difference to the sound too

Wow. Long post!

Reply 5

Doublereedfreak

Woodwind

I love it.
I play oboe (quite shockingly) bassoon and sop/alto sax.
I can also play cor anglais, contra bassoon and bari/tenor but I don't actively play them.

Bassoon is probably my favorite. However, I just got an amazing oboe reed that makes me very pleased. :biggrin:

Reply 6

MetroGnome

Doublereedfreak

I just got an amazing oboe reed that makes me very pleased. :biggrin:

I can see where the inspiration for your username came from :p:

Reply 7

Doublereedfreak

I'm telling you, the search for a perfect oboe reed is the bane of every oboists life! :biggrin:

Reply 8

MetroGnome

I'm telling you, the search for a perfect oboe reed is the bane of every oboists life! :biggrin:

It's like pot-luck with reeds... either they're rubbish or loooovely. Either way they taste horrible when you first start using them!!

Reply 9

Doublereedfreak

Oh you don't know the pain we suffer.
Generally, most single reeds come perfect out the box. But double reeds. :s-smilie:

It's serious business.
I'm saving this perfect reed for my exam. I don't want to risk it dying. :redface:

Reply 10

sexysax

I play saxophone, clarinet, flute and recorder. I also teach them too :smile:

Reply 11

MetroGnome

Doublereedfreak

Oh you don't know the pain we suffer.
Generally, most single reeds come perfect out the box. But double reeds. It's serious business.
I'm saving this perfect reed for my exam. I don't want to risk it dying.

I have about 10 reeds in my case. One to suit my each of my moods :p:

they're temperamental! But I do have a favourite :teeth:

Reply 12

Nonloso

I play clarinet..sounds rubbish compared to the hundreds of instruments everyone else plays though! lol
:smile:

Reply 13

Doublereedfreak

My saxophones hurt my lips so much. I recently started soprano and it kills me. I swear I'm going to go through my lip. It's not even that I'm biting, I just use a lot of pressure. It must be my oboist embouchure. :frown:

Reply 14

MetroGnome

Doublereedfreak

Clarinet has a pretty similar embouchure to the sax (I think) ... are you biting onto the top of the mouth piece or curling your lip? It's better to put your teeth on the top (you can get rubbery pads so you don't dent it) so you don't bite through your lip. Maybe that's it?

Reply 15

Sunshine =]

Hey,

Nice to see some fellow woodwind-er's here.

I play the flute, just passed grade 8 (merit! :biggrin:

), um, and dabble a bit in the piccolo. Attempted sax & clarinet, but never got too far with those.

Tinkerbellejess - I'm going on to do the same as you in Sept. Where do you study (if you don't mind me asking)?

Reply 16

Doublereedfreak

MetroGnome

No it's my bottom lip thats curled over. I don't think it's an incorrect embouchure as my teacher has never mentioned anything and my sound isn't strangled but it hurts. Maybe it's because of my combination of instruments.
Oh well, it's worth it to be an instrumentalist.

Reply 17

MetroGnome

Doublereedfreak

Oh well, it's worth it to be an instrumentalist.

That's dedication for you hehehe

Reply 18

Doublereedfreak

I'd probably go insane other wise.

Not that oboe doesn't already drive me insane...

Reply 19

katied1990

i play alto saxophone and absolutely love it!! i got up to grade 5 then stopped becasue i didn't have the time to do grade 5 theory as i was doing GCSEs

i'm now probably about grade 7